more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals

The next in a continuing series from Listography: Your Life in Lists (written by Lisa Nola, illustrated by Nathaniel Russell)--

List Your Best Purchases

• My bed. It cost a bundle, but I never regretted it. Most comfortable bed EVER.
• Republic of Tea. Good tea is priceless, and this stuff is really good.
• One of those spring-top nail polish remover bottles like they have in a salon. It makes the whole process neat and easy.
• Black Coach wallet
• My first cell phone. It caused and/or led to no end of problems, but it was a key to happiness. Matching outside to inside.
• Diamond earrings. The big ones.
• 'The Brothers K' from Book-of-the-Month Club (for cover art alone).
• That creamy-white bra from Victoria's Secret in Orlando, near Church Street Station.
• My desktop computer. I needed a server, really, and this does most of that job perfectly.
• Original art. Any and all.

It was hard to think about this in context other than "expensive but worth it." Where does your mind go?

[the title quotation is by Oscar Wilde, from The Happy Prince, and reads in its entirety: “Surely Love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals. Pearls and pomegranates cannot buy it, nor is it set forth in the marketplace. It may not be purchased of the merchants, for can it be weighed out in the balance for gold.”]